Stand Up And Be Counted

Keith Andrews says the side must do better both individually and collectively

Keith Andrews says he and his fellow team-mates must stand up and be counted following an indifferent start to Bolton’s npower Championship campaign.

The Trotters’ mixed fortunes continued at the weekend as the side suffered a 3-1 away defeat at one of Andrews’ former clubs, Hull City.

And the Republic of Ireland midfielder admitted that he fully understood the fans’ frustration before saying that the side must take a long look at themselves in the two weeks leading up to the Watford clash.

“You can understand the frustration,” Andrews said after the game. “We are all grown up men and we need to stand up and be counted. 

“The fans are entitled to their opinion and if I was one of them I wouldn’t be overly enamoured with what I was watching.

“I thought we were second best in a lot of areas and in the main didn’t perform anywhere near as well as we can.

“We need to look in the mirror as individuals and then collectively we need to get in and sort this out because we’re not where we need to be at the moment. It’s not just down to one individual, as a collective unit we all need to take a look at ourselves.

“I didn’t expect us to be in this situation, but I’m also not scared of a fight. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy because the three relegated clubs are always seen as scalps. 

“We need to stand up and be counted because it’s about the characters we have in the dressing room.  I keep harping on about it, but we need to do the ugly side of the game. 

“If we can match teams for hard work then I believe we’ll win games at a canter.”

Andrews was substituted midway through the second half at Hull with an Achilles complaint and as a result will now miss the Republic of Ireland’s upcoming international games.
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